Carol Harden Hall, a native Floridian, earned a BA in Fine Art from the University of Florida in 1974. She taught art in private schools in Tampa, FL., and gave private instruction in painting and drawing to children K-12 for several years while raising her family. She also freelanced as a faux finisher for many designers in the Tampa Bay area and painted pastel portraits by commission. In 2014, she dedicated herself to painting full-time in oil and pastel, pastel being her primary medium.
Carol is a juried Master’s Circle member of The International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS), a Signature member of the Pastel Society of America, a Signature member of the Pastel Society of Tampa Bay, and a juried Associate member of Oil Painters of America.
Carol is an exhibiting artist member and past president of the Boca Grande Art Center in Florida. She currently serves on the board of the BGAC and serves on the board of IAPS as the 2nd VP.
Carol has won numerous awards for her pastels and has been juried into many international exhibitions, including but not exclusive to the IAPS Open and Master’s Circle competitions, PSA, PSWC, Dakota Arts, and Pastel Journal’s Pastel 100.
Artist Statement:
I have been doing something with the arts my entire life. I have always loved color and liked the “hands-on” qualities of many different mediums, from drawing and painting to ceramics, fiber arts, and many others. Making art is not only a means of self-expression but a form of continual growth and renewal. I now spend all my time painting in oil and pastel, enjoying the tactile and visual qualities each has to offer. When painting, I can lose all thought of time and everything around me except my work. Painting is a spiritual exercise for me and is very healing. It is a necessary part of my life.
I enjoy painting various subjects, from land and seascapes to human figures, wildlife, and still life. Each offers its own unique opportunities and challenges to study light and value contrast. Whatever I paint, I try to simplify the composition to what it is about the subject that has attracted me and to convey that in a manner that will draw the viewer in to complete the story.
100% of my sales go to charity, including :
The Spencer Hall Memorial for Mental Health, a foundation started by my husband and me in 2017 to promote an awareness of suicide prevention and of the needs of those who struggle with mental illness and to provide help to those in crisis.
Joshua House is a home founded by my husband and four other Tampa men over 30 years ago for the protection of abused, neglected, or abandoned children.
Commissions accepted for portraits and landscape.